The Academy
by expectopatromun
Summary: Manfred Bloor is back, and he's out for revenge. ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. I apologize.
1. The Invitation

Chapter 1: The Invitation

Soft light filtered through the dingy, dusty, dirty old window. Gently the sun's warm rays caressed the children's skin. Quietly, they bent their necks, turning their heads down, flicking their eyes to their work. The sound of pencils scratching filled the King's room. Voices could be heard outside the door, students who had already finished their homework heading up to their dormitories for the night.

"Done," one student breathed, her light blue eyes scanning the piece of paper in front of her, checking for incorrect answers or missed problems. She seemed to find her work satisfactory, because she smoothed the paper out, tucked it into a folder, and placed the folder in her bag.

"First one done as usual," came a male voice. Charlie Bone smiled as another boy, sitting to his left, ran his fingers through his hair, grinning at the girl. His spiky blond hair crackled with energy, and his dark blue eyes danced. The girl blushed.

"I'm not the first one done, Tancred. Sander's done too." Lysander Sage, a tall African boy, grinned.

"Incorrect, Ms. Tolly." he said with a silly accent, "I just finished moments ago."

Emma Tolly could barely keep from laughing. Lysander could be quite funny when he wanted to be. The other children in the room were smiling too. They were happy for any distraction from their dull homework. Just a few weeks ago, Charlie Bone and the other endowed students had overpowered the Bloors, and taken over the school, renaming it Bone Academy. While the staff had changed (Weedon and his wife were asked to leave, to much rejoicing from the children), the lessons had not. Many of the endowed had left too. Dorcas Loom, the Branko twins, and Joshua Tilpin were gone, along with the Bloors. They had left after Ezekiel Bloor had been pushed down a set of stairs by his old dog, Blessed. Unfortunately, he had landed on top of Manfred, who was in the hospital, last anyone had heard.

"Oh my gosh!" Tancred gasped, sending an icy blast of wind through the room. "What?" Charlie asked.

"I totally forgot to ask you guys! Mom's going to kill me! I'm going to my cousin's house for a few weeks over summer break and you're all invited! They go Loth's Academy, where Dagbert used to go." he added. He looked around the room eagerly. "Well?"

Lysander shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

Gabriel Silk brushed his mouse-brown hair out of his eyes. "I'll check with my parents." Billy Raven, Charlie's adoptive brother, Charlie, and Emma all told Tancred that they would come too. Then, one of the ancient doors banged open and Olivia Vertigo entered the room. She unceremoniously dumped her bright pink bag on the floor, brushed her matching hair over her shoulder, and sat down by Emma.

"Hey, Liv! Do you want to come over to my cousin's house for a few weeks this summer?" Tancred asked, "They invited all the endowed."

"Okay, but if all the endowed were invited, we should ask Asa too."

"What?" Billy yelped, "But he's...

"He's what?" snarled a cloaked figure standing in the doorway.

* * *

Tears boiled in Jonathan Loth's dark eyes. He whispered the three words that had been haunting him for years.

"They hate me."

Three simple words. One powerful statement. A tear slipped out of his tightly shut eyes and raced down his cheek. Soon it was joined by another. Then, the dam broke. A waterfall of tears flooded down his face. He brought his knees up to his chest and cried. His sobs echoed around the small room. Finally, he stopped crying. Shakily, he stood up and stumbled to the door. He opened it and stepped out onto the balcony. He gazed sadly out over the forest. The moon's light gleamed off the wet pavement. He sighed. He climbed up onto the balcony's rail, took a deep breath, and jumped. He hit the pavement feet first, and began to run.

Jonathan raced by houses, shops, people, cars, trees, and finally, he was there. Home. Or, at least, that's what he called it. It was more of an old shack really, but it was HIS old shack. Not anybody else's. But something was wrong. The lights were on, and he remembered turning them off. A silhouette slipped past the curtained window. Treading carefully, he crept towards the house. He eased the door open, and snuck inside. Standing, its back turned to him, was a hooded figure. He stalked towards it. Suddenly, he darted forwards, and smacked his hand over the figure's mouth. His other hand closed around its cloak, pulling back slightly. Just enough to make whoever this was uncomfortable, but not enough to kill them. Strangely, the figure didn't make any attempt to fight back. Slowly, he walked around the figure so he was standing in front of it. Jonathan pushed its hood back and gasped.

"Manfred Bloor?"


	2. The Plot

**Thank you DragonQuill6913 and dancefreakO.O for reviewing chapter 1! Thank you Magic Writer 207 for adding this story to your Story Alerts, and Favorites! Digital hugs for you all! :) Now, onto chapter two, the Plot.**

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Chapter 2: The Plot

The infamous young man smiled, but it was a smile totally devoid of any warmth.

"Hello dear cousin. I thought I might find you here."

Stunned, Jonathan released Manfred and stepped back. "H-how'd you know about this place? I haven't told anybody!"

Manfred rubbed his neck where the cloak's strap had been pressed against his skin. "I have my ways. Anyways, that's not important. I need your help. You're endowed, correct?" Secretly, Manfred was worried. If Jonathan wasn't endowed, he was screwed. All his plans for revenge on Charlie Bone and his little friends would be ruined! And that would never do.

"Yeah," Jonathan replied, "I'm endowed. Why do you ask?" Manfred eyed him shrewdly. He sensed that the boy wasn't lying. Perfect. Now all he had to do was find that map…Abruptly, he stopped himself. He still didn't know what the boy's endowment was! What if it was mind-reading? "So…" he started, turning to Jonathan. "What's your endowment?"

Jonathan was on his guard. He had heard about the notorious Bloor's Academy and Charlie Bone. He knew that Manfred had nearly died. In fact, he had scars to prove it. A terrible burn decorated the right side of his pale face. His black eyes were locked on Jonathan's dark brown ones. They were so dark…so deep…so cold…

A sick smile twisted Manfred's mutilated face. Jonathan Loth was now under his control. It didn't matter what his endowment was. He wouldn't be able to use it unless Manfred told him to.

Jonathan Loth had been hypnotized.

* * *

Even with his hood up, there was no mistaking Asa Pike. His amber eyes glinted dangerously.

"He's…" Billy faltered. He'd always been afraid of the older boy, but now he was positively terrified. "He's…" he started again.

"He's invited to come to Tancred's cousin's house with the rest of us." Lysander finished. Billy smiled gratefully at him. Asa opened his mouth to speak, but a new voice entered the conversation before he could.

"So? Are you coming?" Tancred demanded. Asa frowned.

"Why in the name of all things good and dramatic would they want _me_ to come to their house?" Tancred awkwardly adjusted his shirt sleeve, yanking it down over his knuckles.

"Um… Because they wanted to meet you?" he offered weakly. Asa raised an eyebrow.

"Sure. Because everybody wants to meet a freaking were-beast." He snarled. Tancred scowled and a strong gust of wind tore through the small room, making the other children shiver with both cold and fear. Asa and Tancred had never been the best of friends, and now they appeared ready to kill each other. Lysander and Gabriel stood up, ready to force the two boys apart if necessary.

"Why do they want a bunch of endowed kids at their house anyways?" Asa demanded. Tancred frowned. "I have no idea. They just said to come and bring you lot."

"Tancred." Emma piped up. "Are you sure that they sent this message?"

"Well… Um… No. I'm not."

Billy Raven paled. "B-but, who did then?"

"Who could have though?" Emma Tolly asked, "Who would want a bunch of endowed kids, us in particular, in one place… Oh my gosh."

"Manfred Bloor." Asa murmured grimly, "He would want just that. Then he could get his revenge."

"But he's dead!" Olivia Vertigo squeaked.

"No he's not." Asa replied quietly. He alone appeared calm. Finally, Lysander Sage joined the conversation.

"Manfred could still be alive. Admit it, we have no proof that he actually died. For all we know, he could have escaped with his father. It makes sense that they would target Loth's Academy. That's the largest school for children like us around. They probably have extremely powerful children there, like Cynthia and Luke. They're Tancred's cousins. Luke's only five, but he can whip up one heck of a hurricane when he's angry. And Cynthia… She's interesting. She's, erm, like you, Asa. She's a werebeast."

Asa was stunned. Cynthia Torsson was like him? "R-really?" he whispered, hoping that he hadn't heard incorrectly. Someone like him would be amazing. She would understand what is was like to be an outcast, surely she would!

"Yes, Asa," Tancred replied, "She's just like you."


	3. The Plan

**Thank you DancefreakO.O and DragonQuill6913 for reviewing! I'm sorry for the delay in updating, and the extremely short chapter. I promise that the next one will be longer, and have more character interaction. Maybe even some romance... ;)**

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Chapter 3: The Plan

Travis and Lola Torsson were leaving. They were going on vacation to France for two whole months to celebrate their anniversary. They'd saved up for months, planned it all out, and finally, three days ago to be exact, they left. Their daughter, eighteen year old Cynthia was in charge of five year old Luke while they were gone. She was responsible enough, and knew what to do in case of an emergency. Luke trusted her completely. It was the perfect situation. It was the perfect plan.

It was the perfect opportunity for Manfred Bloor to strike.

He had it all planned out. Jonathan would lure Cynthia away under some pretence or other, and he, Manfred, would kidnap Luke. The only person in the world who had any control over that cursed storm bringer, Torsson. Then, he would use Luke as a shield of sorts. If Bone and his friends tried anything, Luke would be harmed, tortured, and maimed. Just like Manfred was. Luke Torsson would know what it was like to be an outcast. To be hated. To be feared. To be unwanted.

To be unloved.

That would drive poor Cynthia to near insanity. It would tear her apart. Torsson would be inconsolable once he found out. He would be irate, livid. He would be out for blood. He loved his younger cousin like crazy. He would do anything for him, anything at all.

Manfred planned to abuse that dedication. Abuse it like whoa.


	4. The Meeting

**He**

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in updating, my laptop's battery died, and the charger went AWOL. I found it though, and everything's back to normal! Thanks DragonQuill6913 for reviewing! Here's Chapter 4:**

Chapter 4: The Meeting

Charlie Bone opened his eyes. He was stiff, sore, and slightly squished. Being smashed in between Tancred Torsson and Lysander Sage was no picnic. Poor Gabriel Silk was in an even worse position. He was crammed in between vibrant Olivia Vertigo and the window, but the young music master didn't seem to mind. He had his earphones in, and Charlie swore he heard the faint sounds of One Direction playing.

They were on their way to Cynthia and Luke's house. It was a twenty-three hour drive, and they were only five hours into it. Charlie groaned. Lysander shot him a quizzical look. "What's wrong, Charlie?"

The brunette sighed. "I'm just exhausted and impatient. Why can't we be there already?"

Uncle Paton glanced at them in the rear-view mirror and grinned. "Sorry Charlie, but we can't stop for another sixteen hours."

"WHAT?" shrieked the van's young occupants. Uncle Paton laughed.

"I'm kidding! We'll stop in an hour." The children cheered. Sure enough, an hour later, they were in a tiny seaside town, munching on sandwiches and drinking hot cocoa. Charlie noticed a dark-haired, pale skinned young man watching them from inside the café where they had purchased their food. The boy made eye contact with him, and his gaze made Charlie uncomfortable. Charlie looked away.

"Hey Uncle Paton, who is that?" he asked, motioning towards the mysterious boy with his head. Paton glanced up, and frowned.

"Who's who?"

"That boy! He was right…" Charlie turned to point him out to his uncle and frowned. The strange boy was gone. "…there. There was a boy there, I swear!"

"Nice rhyme, Charlie." Olivia commented, grinning. Charlie scowled, and turned away from her angrily. He failed to notice Asa's eyebrows knit together, or him silently study the tiny café.

Throughout the duration of their journey, Charlie tried to convince the others that the mysterious boy really did exist, but no one believed him.

No one but Asa, that is. The fiery red head believed Charlie all right, but he was too scared to say anything. He was terrified because he knew who the boy was.

He was Jonathan Loth.

Asa Pike had heard of the young hypnotist before. In fact, he'd met him once, over Christmas break. Jonathan's parents were visiting the Bloors for the holidays, and they dragged him along. Asa remembered Jonathan as a scrawny boy with overly large dark eyes, who had a habit of not speaking unless spoken too. He unnerved Asa. Sure, Asa could easily beat the petite youth in a contest of physical strength, but the boy had a psychological advantage.

He looked exactly like Manfred Bloor had when he was younger. The thought of seeing him again frightened Asa. Would he be able to stand up to his old friend? Or would he come crawling back again? Asa sorely hoped that the former would be true. In his heart of hearts, the werebeast knew he wouldn't be able to stand up to Manfred.

He was just too strong.

* * *

**A/N: Would you all rather have shorter chapters, but faster updates (like once a week), or longer chapters but slower updates (every two weeks or so)? PM me or let me know in a review! **

**xoxo -icanhazjoy  
**


	5. Young Love: Part One

**CBfan:** Thank you for catching that mistake! They were in the rough draft of chapter one, but I couldn't think of what to do with them, so I deleted them :P And Todd's name was changed to Luke. I revised the chapter, so hopefully it's all better. Thank you for reviewing!

**randomperson:** I plan on having more Tancred/Emma in the next chapter, but there's some in here too. Thanks for reviewing!

**Piko Niko:** I tried to not make Tancred and Emma too fluffy. Did I succeed? Thank you for your feedback!

**DragonQuill6913:** I added 1D just for you :) thanks for the reviews Prongs!

Now, I'm going to watch some Doctor Who, then hopefully start on chapter six. Fingers crossed!

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Chapter 5: Young Love: Part One

The creepy boy from the café scared Emma Tolly. She'd only caught a glimpse of him, and he still had somehow managed to scare her. She knew what he was. When she'd seen his dark eyes, so empty and cold, Emma had known.

He was a hypnotist. His eyes were almost black, like Manfred's. When he looked at her, it felt like he was staring into her soul. It felt like he could read her innermost thoughts just as easily as she could read a book. It was unnerving, to say the least.

Now she was in the backseat of Uncle Paton's beat up old minivan, staring out the window and trying to forget those dark eyes and the boy attached to them. Involuntarily, Emma shuddered.

"You okay?" Emma wrenched her eyes from the window and found Tancred Torsson gazing at her, concern written all over his face. She could swear she felt her heart stop.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." She stammered. Tancred rolled his eyes.

"Em, you're a_ really _bad liar. Come on, tell me what's wrong." Emma sighed. She'd never been able to resist his brilliant blue eyes.

"I-It's the kid from the café." She admitted. "He scared me. It felt like he could see into my _soul_. It made me think of when Manfred hypnotized me." Tancred's cold hand found her smaller, warmer one. Emma's pale cheeks turned pink. "I don't like him at all."

"I don't either." Tancred murmured. "I don't like him one bit."

"Who is he anyways?" Emma asked. The usually silent figure sitting on Tancred's left answered her question.

"His name is Jonathan Loth. His father is the Headmaster of the infamous Loth's Academy, where that idiot Dagbert Endless used to attend until his father dragged him to Bloor's. He's all of sixteen years old and powerful. He's a hypnotist. He's also an only child, and quite lonely if you ask me. His father is literally impossible to please, and his mother doesn't care about him. She prefers parties and gossip and stupid social thing to her own son. It's a shame, really. " Asa Pike lapsed back into silence and resumed gazing out the window, his temple pressed against the cool glass.

The van fell silent. Finally, Gabriel Silk muttered, "Geez, stalker much?" Asa glared at the passing scenery. Olivia tried a different tactic than Gabriel's awful one.

"Asa, how did you know all that?"

He growled. "I visited the academy once for Christmas."

"Oh." An awkward silence filled the air. Tancred seemed to realize that he was still holding Emma's hand and hastily let go, his cheeks reddening.

_Way to go, Torsson._ He berated himself in his head. _Smooth move._ _You've had a crush on her for two months, and when you get the chance… You kill it. Murder the poor thing. Maim it beyond all recognizable belief. Brilliant, Torsson. Freaking brilliant. _

Tancred was dragged out of his thoughts by none other than Emma. She gently tapped his hand.

"Tancred? We're here."

* * *

What do you think? Wanna kill me because it was so terrible? Let me know in a review!


	6. Young Love Pt 2

a.n. Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay, my laptop died the day before I was going to update. *facefloor* Anyways, I won't be able to update very much this summer because I got a summer job that is going to take up a rather large portion of my time. I don't have the next chapter written, but I know what I'm gonna do, so don't worry. Thanks everyone for your wonderful reviews. I start freaking out and fangirling whenever I get a notification. :)

Piko Niko, thank you so much for your fantastic review. That's exactly what I need. I edited Emma's behavior in my copy of the chapter, and I'll switch them out soon. Let me know if anything seems out of place or just plain weird. Thanks again! :)

Somedudette2212, I love that idea! I'll put it in the story for you. :)

DragonQuill6913, thanks for your constant encouragement!

Once again, thanks everyone for their reviews!

Chapter Six: Young Love Pt 2

* * *

Asa scrambled out of the van, eager to get as far away from the uncomfortable seat he'd been in as soon as possible. Honestly, a cement block would have been more comfortable! He gazed silently at the Torssons' home. It was a dark, foreboding castle of sorts, nestled deep in the woods. Two towers speared the gray sky, and two minute flags rested atop skinny spires. Asa frowned. Something was definitely wrong here. He didn't know why, but he felt uneasy.

* * *

Cynthia Torsson was beyond pissed off. Manfred Bloor had the NERVE to come into her house, kidnap her baby brother, AND demand a ransom! Who did he think he was, the king of Amsterdam? Cynthia knew that no matter what, she had to get Luke back. There was no question about it. She couldn't stand Manfred, and she had barely even met him! Poor Tancred used to attend school with him! Cynthia shuddered at the thought. She shuffled into the pristine kitchen, made herself some hot chocolate, and sat down at the tiny breakfast table. It was around three in the morning. She knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep. Not while Luke was gone. She stared vacantly at the battered table. Scorch marks from her father's recent storm decorated one side. The other half was covered in paint, glitter, and other craziness. _Poor mum_, Cynthia thought with a grin, _her favorite table barely recognize able_. Now, what in the name of Marilyn Monroe was she going to do about Manfred? While it was VERY tempting, going all "rawr-I'm-a-wolf-who's-gonna-eat-you" isn't her best option. So far, the townspeople didn't know about her _condition_, but if they found out, all hell would break loose. The last werebeast that lived here had been shot. Not a pleasant thing to wake up to, mind you. Cynthia silently ruled out that option, and tried to think up something else.

* * *

He silently made his way up to the house-castle-mansion-whatever it was, temporarily forgetting about his friends (what else could he call them?). All he could focus on was the slight, silent figure curled up on the front porch of sorts. He could barely see whoever it was, but he knew it was a person, a girl. He knew she needed him. If someone were to ask him how he knew that, he wouldn't be able to answer. He honestly had no clue. He stumbled towards her, not knowing her but wanting to take her pain away. He wanted her to stop hurting. He wanted to save her. Asa hesitated, then sat down next to her and carefully put an arm around her shaking shoulders. "Hey, it's okay… Shh… It's okay," He murmured, his lips mere inches from her ear, "It'll be okay, I promise. I promise…" Cynthia snuggled closer to him, trying to stop the sobs wracking her whole body, and failing miserably. Asa held her, whispering words of comfort to her. Slowly, the other endowed children gathered around the two older teens, some gazing at them in confusion, and others were gaping at them in silent wonder.

* * *

Cynthia _had _nothing else. No friends, no family, no magical powers. She was completely and utterly alone. Cynthia wandered out onto the porch. Sure, it was late, but she didn't mind. Darkness had no hold over the blond werebeast. She knew she could defeat anyone who tried to attack her. She hadn't been able to do the same for her baby brother. Cynthia perched on the edge of the white planks, and gently wrapped her arms around herself. Before she knew it, she was sobbing. Then, strangely, arms were around her. A voice, deep and definitely masculine, was telling her it was going to be okay. She didn't know who it was, and frankly she didn't care. She buried her face in his gray t-shirt, inhaling his scent. He smelled like the woods mixed with a peculiar smell she couldn't define. _Mint_. That's what the smell was.

She closed her eyes and whispered, "Th-thanks." The stranger chuckled softly and murmured, "Anytime, love." Cynthia tilted her head back, a half smile dancing on her pale pink lips. Asa grinned at her. Tancred killed their possible moment by wolf-whistling.

Emma hit him with her book.

* * *

a.n. Thanks for reading this! Leave a review telling me anything at all about this story. Do you love it, hate it, wanna lock me in a room with Manfred for all eternity? Let me know!


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